1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to safety helmet and hard hat covers, and, more particularly, to slip-on, elastic, fabric cover for hard hats and the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are many occupations that require the use of protective head gear, commonly referred to as hard hats, on the part of their workers. Taking advantage of this fact, many employers, vendors and equipment suppliers have taken on the additional expense of decorating these hard hats with company names and logos in order to create a business identity, or perhaps some advertising value.
Furthermore, as with most worn articles, individual stylistic and artistic tastes and preferences have resulted in these workers decorating their hard hats in a variety of manners. Many workers use paint, markers and stickers to decorate their hard hat in a unique and individualized manner.
Accordingly, there is a place in the market for items that can be used to either individualize or provide an advertising identity to hard hats in an effective, economic manner.
In the related art, several hat and helmet covers are disclosed. U.S. Pat. No. D 374,972, issued in the name of Nelson et al., discloses a design for a combined helmet cover and visor.
U.S. Pat. No. D 299,180, issued in the name of Gentes, discloses a design for a bicyclist's helmet cover.
U.S. Pat. No. D297,067, and U.S. Pat. No. D 297,066, both issued in the name of Schonwetter et al., disclose a design for a present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,359,734, issued in the name of Rathburn, discloses a hat with interchangeable display panels.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,776,043, issued in the name of Coleman, discloses a hat with an interchangeable logo on it. The logos are connected to the hat via Velcro, and permit the user to make the same printed statement about a variety of people, teams, organizations, etc.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,155,981, issued in the name of McKissick et al., disclosing a football helmet with a logo on it.
One problem not adequately addressed by the prior art is that of printing logos or other visual media onto a fabric of a hard hat cover and the like, while simultaneously reducing distortion of the image once the hard hat cover is placed on the hard hat or the like. Usually a printed image is placed on the material prior to placement of the cover on the hat. Placement of the image on the cover while the cover is on the hat is impractical, since hard hats come is a variety of sizes and configurations, and use of the cover would be limited to the hard hat on which the cover was placed when the image was printed thereon.
Deformation of the image occurs post-application, when the cover is stretched into place over the hat and the like, creating the necessary snug fit to ensure secure attachment thereto. What is needed is a hard hat cover that is designed to have images, logos and the like placed thereon, post manufacture, without the image distorting once the hard hat cover is placed on the hard hat.
A search of the prior art did not disclose any patents that read directly on the claims of the instant invention. Consequently, a need has been felt for providing an apparatus and method which overcomes the problems cited above.